Heel press and method of pressing heels



April 4, 1939. w. HUBBARD 2,152,645

' HEEL PRESS AND METHOD OF PRESSING HEELS Filed Jan. 28, 1957 5Sheets-Sheet 1 A/VEA/ITUFK W W April 4, 1939. w. HUBBARD I HEEL PRESSAND METHOD OF PRESSING HEELS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 28, 1937 A ril4, 1939, w, BBARD 2,152,646

HEEL PRESS AND METHOD OF'PRESSING HEELS Filed Jan. 28, 1957 3Sheets-Sheet 3 V 86 v FM II III m I Q /r\ 3 I I 6 Fig.5. 13

' ivvEA/TU Patented Apr. 4, 1939 HEEL PRESS AND METHOD OF PRESSING HEELSWilliam Hubbard, Dclgeville, N. Y., as'signor to United ShoeMachineryCorporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication January 28, 1937, Serial No. 122,811

11 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of heels and more particularlyto the pressing of freshly built, pasted heels, including both animproved machine and an improved method of operation for which themachine is especially adapted.

It is an object of the invention to provide, for the rapid andcontinuous pressing of freshly built heels, an improved machine andmethod of operation by the employment of which a very superior productwill be obtained with a minimum of labor and attention on the part ofthe operator.

It is already known that if a limited amount of paste is applied to aseries of heel lifts and the lifts are then assembled into a heel asatisfactory product can be secured and a large amount of time can besaved by immediately subjecting the freshly built heel to extremelyheavy pressure for a very short time, in some cases even as short asfifteen seconds, provided a suitable quick-drying paste is used. Thepressure required, however, is so great that heavy, relatively expensivemachinery is required.

I have discovered that heels of even better quality can be obtained, ina short time, with considerably less pressure by increasing the durationof the pressure application, for example, to a plurality of minutes oftime while applying the pressure uninterruptedly in progressivelyincreasing amounts and I have, accordingly, embodied in the machine ofmy present invention the combination of a heel pressing device andoperating means for causing said device to apply uninterruptedprogressively increasing pressure to a heel throughout a substantialperiod of time,

The illustrated machine includes a series of heel pressing devicesmounted upon a movable carrier, in combination with means for causingeach of said devices to apply uninterrupted, progressively increasingpressure to a heel contained therein throughout the. time required toload other pressing devices of the series. Preferably, 5 the pressure isapplied yieldingly in order that there shall be no opportunity for thelifts to spring back and impair the strength of the joints between themduring the time the paste is setting.

As shown, the carrier is mounted for rotation and a stationary camcoacts with telescopic spring-expanded plungers in the pressing devicesto cause each pressing device to grip a heel as it leaves a loadingstation and apply progressively increasing pressure to the heel untilthat pressing device again approaches the loading station.

In its method aspect the invention comprises subjecting a freshly builtheel to pressure which is maintained uninterruptedly and isprogressively increased while the paste in the heel is drying.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be betterunderstood and appreciated from the following detailed description of anillustrative machine and the method of its use, to be read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in sideelevation, partly in section, of a heel press;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the press and the mechanism for impartingrotary movement to the carrier;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail of the movement transmittingmechanism;

Fig. 4 is a front view, partly diagrammatic, showing the arrangement ofparts of the pressing devices upon the carrier, and

,Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pressure cam.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I0 indicates a stationary base or framewhich may be the frame of a heel building machine such, for example, asthat of my copend-ing application Serial No. 122,810, filed concurrentlyherewith.

Secured to the frame In by bolts I2 is a base member M which may be castintegrally with a heavy casing IS in which are mounted ball bearings I8,20. Journaled in these bearings is a heavy horizontal shaft 22 upon thefront end of which is mounted a vertically disposed disk 24 providedwith a keyway 26 which engages a key 28 secured in the shaft 22. Thismounting of the disk 24 permits it to slide axially along the shaft butforces it to rotate with the shaft.

In order to provide for axial adjustment of the disk along the shaft theend portion of the shaft is threaded at 30 to receive an adjusting nut32 having handles 34 by which it may be turned. The periphery of the nut32 is provided with an annular collar 36 which is kept in engagementwith the end of the hub portion 38 of the disk 24 by shoulderedretainers 40 secured to the latter by screws 42.

A spider 44 is fixed to the shaft 22 by the key 28 and a set screw 46which not only secures the spider in place upon the shaft but alsoprevents movement of the key relatively to the shaft.

The spider 44 carries a series of eight identical heel pressing devices,one of which will now be described in detail.

Mounted to slide parallel to the axis of the shaft 22 in a rectangularrecess 48 in the spider is a block 50 which is retained and guided inthe recess by a cover plate 52 secured in place by screws 54.

Pivoted by a bolt 56 to a bracket 58 on the block 50 (see Figs. 1 and 4)are two ears 60 which extend rearward from a vertically disposed presserplate 62 the angular position of which, relatively to the vertical, maybe adjusted by means of a stop or bolt 64' threaded into the block 50and secured in adjusted position by a lock nut 66.

Mounted upon the vertical face of the presser plate 62 is a gage 68, forthe rear of the heel, which extends far enough forward into the spacebetween the plate 62 andthe disk 24 to permit a heel to be placedloosely upon it, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, and to prevent theheel from dropping out of position before it is gripped,

by the pressing device. The gage 68 is secured to the edge of the plate62 by a bolt I passing through a slot 12 in the side portion of the gageand permitting vertical adjustment of the gage to accommodate heels ofdifferent sizes.

Also slidably mounted in the recess 48 is a block 14 of which the frontend is recessed at 16 to receive a boss I8 extending rearward from theblock 50. A heavy spring 80 is interposed between the blocks 50 and I4and held under compression by a bolt 82 which is threaded into the block50'and has a sliding fit in the block I4. It will be seen that theblocks 50, 14 and the spring 80 constitute a telescopic pressure plungerby means of which fairly heavy pressure-may be transmitted yieldingly toa heel blank positioned between the plate 62 and the disk 24.

Journaled upon a pin 84 in the rear end of the pressure plunger block 14is a cam roll 86 which bears against an open, stationary, circular cam68 secured by screws 90 to the stationary casing I6. The cam 88 has alow portion at the top, which may be designated as the loading station,at which ,position suflicient space will exist between the presser plate62 and the disk 24 to receive a heel blank freely when the disk isproperly, adjusted longitudinally of the shaft 22 for heels of thatheight. I The carrier is designed to be rotated in a vertical plane inthe direction indicated by the arrows on Figs. 2 and 4, that is to say,counterclockwise, as viewed from the front, and the cam 68 is sodesigned that it rises gradually in the same counterclockwise directionthrough approximately 315 so that as the carrier is rotated stepby-stepa heel in any given pressing device is gripped between the plate 62 andthe disk 24 as that device leaves the loading station and is subjectedto an uninterrupted, progressively increasing, yielding pressure untilit has traveled through A; of the circuit back to the loading station.In other words, progressively increasing pressure is applied to the heelwhile seven succeeding heels are being built and loaded into the press.

In the last 45 of movement of the pressing de- 7 a vice back to theloading station, the pressure is released and when the heel reaches theloading station it may be removed and a fresh heel inserted.

The rotary carrier may be turned step-by-step, 45 at a time, by anysuitable means but it is herein illustrated as connected to and operatedfrom the heel building machine of my copending application hereinbeforereferred to. g I

Referring to Figs. 1,2 and 3, 92 indicates a cam tion.

which makes one complete revolution in each cycle of operation of theheel building machine. Secure-d to a rock shaft 94 journaled in theframe I0 of the heel building machine is a cam lever 96 carrying a camroll 98 arranged for engagement with the cam 92. Also secured to theshaft 94 is a short rocker arm I00 which is pulled downward by a springI02 to hold the roll 98 in engagement with the cam. An arm I04 ismounted loosely upon the shaft 94 and has an arcuate slot I 06 throughwhich passes a bolt I08 arranged to clamp the arm I04 to the rocker armI00 but to permit relative angular adjustment between the two armsaround the axis of the shaft 94.

Pivoted at I I 0 to the outer end of the arm I04 is an arm I I2 theprojecting lower'end N4 of which is drawn toward the frame I0 by aspring H6. Mounted in the upper portion of the arm H2 is .a pin H8arranged to engage teeth I20 formed upon a ratchet drum I22 which isaflixed to the shaft 22 by a key I34 and a nut I26 (see Figs. 1 and 2).

A second pin I28 mounted in the arm H2 is arranged to engage a series oflugs I30 which project from the face of the drum I22 and prevent anyoverthrow of the drum when the end of one step in its rotating, movementis completed. It will be observed that the back faces I32 of the ratchetteeth I20 are substantially parallel to the front face of thecorresponding lugs I30 so that upon the return stroke of the arm I I2the pin H8 will slide down the back face I32 of a ratchet tooth and thepin I 28 will slide down the front face of a lug I30 until it passes offsaid lug and is in position to be engaged by the front face of the nextsucceeding lug in the next step of rotation.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the illustratedmechanism merely produces a power operated step-by-step rotation of theheel press, 45 at a time, in synchronism with the operation of the heelbuilding machine. The motion of the heel press, however, may equallywell be efiected manually or by manually controlled power operatedmechanism independently of the operation of the heel building machine.

In order to insure the opening of each heel pressing device when itreaches the loading Sta-- tion the cam roll pin 84 is extended downward,as shown at I34 in Fig.1, and is arranged to engage a stationary cam I36which is mounted upon the casing I6 and so disposed as to insure theretraction of the pressure plunger at the loading sta- In the operationof the press, each freshly built heel, as it is taken from the heelbuilding machine, is placed against the gage 68 in the position shown inbroken lines in Fig. 1. Then, while the heel building machine is beingoperated to build the next heel, the pressis rotated 45, the heel beinggripped between the plate 62 and the disk 24 by reason of the cam roll86 riding up on the. cam 88. The press stops with the next pressingdevice open at the loading station ready for removal of the finishedheel and insertion of the next freshly built heel produced by the heelbuilding machine. As any given heel in the press proceeds around thecircuit it is held uninterruptedly under yielding pressure which isprogressively increased until the heel reaches the last stationpreceding the loading station and the result ordinarilyfwill be that theheel will have been kept under pressure for two or three minutes, orpossibly slightly more, depending upon Having described the invention,what is claimed as new and desired be secured by Letters Patent 1. In aheel press, the combination of a heel pressing device and operatingmeans for causing said device to apply uninterrupted, progressivelyincreasing pressure to a heel throughout a considerable period of time.

2. In a heel press, the combination of a movable carrier, a series ofheel pressing devices mounted thereon, and means for causing each ofsaid devices to apply uninterrupted, progressively increasing pressureto a heel contained therein throughout the time required to load otherpressing devices of the series.

3. In a heel press, the combination of a. movable carrier, a series ofheel pressing devices mounted thereon and movable in succession througha loading station, and means for causing each pressing device to applyuninterrupted, progressively increasing pressure to a heel containedtherein while a plurality of succeeding pressing devices of the seriesare passing through the loading station.

4. In a heel press, the combination of a heel pressing device andoperating means for causing said device to apply uninterrupted,progressively increasing, yielding pressure to a heel contained thereinthroughout a plurality of minutes of time.

5. In a heel press, the combination of a rotatable carrier, a series ofheel pressing devices mounted thereon, means for rotating the carrierstep by step tobring the pressing devices successively to rest at aloading station, and means for causing each pressing device to grip aheel contained therein and apply progressively increasing, yieldingpressure to said heel while a plu rality of succeeding pressing devicesof the series are loaded with heels at the loading station.

6. In a heel press, the combination of a rotatable carrier, a series ofheel pressing devices mounted thereon, each pressing device including apressure applying plunger, means for rotating the carrier step'by stepto bring the heel pressing devices successively to rest at a loadingstation, and a stationary cam coacting with the plunger during therotation of the carrier to cause each pressing device to grip a heel asit leaves the loading station and apply progressively increasingpressure until that pressing device again approaches the loadingstation.

'7. In a heel press, the combination of a carrier rotatable in avertical plane "and comprising separated, vertically disposed pressingmembers between which a heel may be pressed, a gage mounted upon one orsaid members, and located be tween said members, adapted to support a.heel loosely in the space between said members, and means for moving oneof said members toward the other to grip. the heel when the carrier isrotated.

8. In a heel press, the combination of a heel pressing member, anopposed, movable, heel pressing plate spaced from said member, atelescopic, spring-expanded plunger carrying said plate, and cam meansfor operating the plunger to apply pressure through the spring to a heelgripped between said member and said plate.

9. The method of pressing freshly built, pasted heels which comprisessubjecting a freshly built heel to pressure, maintaining said pressureuninterruptedly and progressively increasing it while the paste in theheel is drying.

10. The method of pressing freshly built, pasted heels which comprisessubjecting a freshly built heel to yielding pressure, maintaining saidyielding pressure uninterruptedly and progressively increasing it whilethe paste in the heel is drying.

11. The method of pressing freshly built, pasted heels which comprisessubjecting a freshly built heel to pressure, maintaining said pressureuninterruptedly and progressively increasing it through a plurality ofminutes of time while the paste in the heel is drying.

WILLIAM HUBBARD.

